(Christian Science Monitor) Since last year, 1,000 to 3,000 foreign militants tied to a growing string of terrorist strikes in Iraq have crossed the border, but officials contend that recent attacks instigated by foreign fighters have backfired. In Baqubah in late June, Iraqi citizens spontaneously grabbed weapons and took to the streets to fight outside insurgents. Senior Iraqi and American officials are quick to blame Syria and Iran for tacitly supporting car bombings and other attacks that have killed and wounded hundreds of people in the past month. Along the Syrian border, tribes such as the Shamar, al-Jubouri, and al-Fawzil migrate back and forth from Iraq. Many of the Iraqi border guards are tribal members with family on either side of the border, and often turn a blind eye to smuggling. A long dirt berm built by U.S. military engineers to delineate the Syrian border is easily transversed in many places by four-wheel drive pickup trucks.
2004-07-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive